Wednesday, January 28, 2009

What, honestly, did you expect?

So, re: Ignatieff's acquiescence to the Conservative budget. The reviews aren't great. I'm not surprised at the results -- you'll note I've never put a lot of faith in Ignatieff's leadership -- but I am shocked at how obsequious it ends up being. After putting his name down supporting Dion's efforts to bring down this government over it's spending intentions of early winter, by mid-winter Ignatieff is going to be satisfied with... regular reports to Parliament? Weak. God knows what he'd have given them if they'd waited until Valentine's Day.

I am also surprised at the anger directed at the Liberal Party itself. I mean, this is a party that lives in the sphere of consensus, only barely tiptoeing out in to anything mildly controversial when a party leader goes mildly cuckoo. "Controversy" is what keeps the NDP out of legitimate consideration for governance, and kept the Albertan Right out of consideration until they'd gone through two rebrandings. As far as the Ottawa villagers are concerned, the worst thing Dion ever did for some Liberals was ally himself with the NDP, even temporarily.

So of course Iggy is going to bend the knee and kiss the ring. He doesn't want an election, can't afford one, and would probably lose. But more than that -- much, much more -- he doesn't want to be seen as beholden to the left. (Like his patron, Paul Martin, Iggy has more time for the right than an authentic left.)